bassace

You don't - you let the bass do it. See previous thread re muddy bass sound in live mix. You use the bass drum for standing the cymbals, toms, drink, everything else on, that's all.

[quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1417026486' post='2616349'] Superb. I notice Ray Brown plays right at the end of the fingerboard - I've started having a go at this myself and get a much bigger sound. I've also got a huge blood blister on what was previously a workable callous. [/quote] Stick at it, Sarah. It's the way to go!

Thanks for a great clip, GJ. Nice solo from Ray demonstrating how to build on the tune within three choruses. And I bet he didn't have particularly 'friendly' strings in '58.

You could have a band half as big and twice as good. But I suppose it provides useful employment to the musos. And what a crap rhythm section. All in my humble opinion, of course.

Yes, great value. Just don't take too much notice of the markers. Great piece of kit otherwise.

And Blue Oyster Cult will only play if there's an R in the month. - or have we had that one?

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1416069440' post='2606588'] Ah yes, the" Hot Girls in the Audience" Photo thread? The kudos seemed to be in having many photogenic girls draped around the Bassist, to which other posters would variously rate for "hotness". Can't think why it did not catch on here.... [/quote] Ooh, haven't seen that. Is it on the DB forum?

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1415996251' post='2606051'] i expect that would be because DB draws in a different crowd. Your not going to get some idiot chav types playing DB, although the thought amuses me. [/quote] Thanks for the compliment, Twincam, and your probably right on that one. But in fifties - yes, I was there - before amplification came in there were a lot of double bass fakers around. They still surface periodically.

I don't know about the BGs but the DB people are a great crowd. A lot of knowledge, some of them ace players and a great resource. Sometimes the level of invective is impressive. Through the site I found Acoustic Image, Upton, FDeck and a lot more. My pounds have been going across the pond.

Stick at it Highfox, it's a wonderful instrument.

A great record of a good day. Thanks a lot, Sylvia.

A fascinating article. I've always been suspicious of the mid-board pizz, knowing full well that most jazzers get a huge sound from the end of the board.

This is a thread that keeps on giving.

I wouldn't want to gig a C extension; it wouldn't last long. It could be good to get that bottom Eb but otherwise............

Daf, thanks for all your help with 'stuff' in the past and hope you'll be around for a long time.

Bowie's sparky was electrocuted. He had a song written about him - The Man Who Failed to Earth.

Frank Loesser, the songwriter was married to quite a nasty woman. She was known as the evil of two Loessers. True jazz fact, there's more.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1415270686' post='2598542'] Hi-Fi buffs! They'll buy any old expensive snake-oil! Like £10,000 mains leads made of oxygen-free unobtainium. Despite the fact that all ALL the wiring from the power station to the house is 1p a metre from Wickes... Edit: Hmm, looks like I seriously underestimated the gullibility of hi-fi buffs... [url="http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2011/nov/power-cable.cfm"]http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2011/nov/power-cable.cfm[/url] [/quote] Unobtainium - like it!

First of all, anyone new to the DB, or contemplating getting one, should get About the Double Bass - a player's guide - by Peter Tyler. This tells you everything you want to know about the construction of the bass, the different types around,strings, accessories, in fact everything to get you fully familiar with the instrument. Then there's The Evolving Bassist by Rufus Reid; that helps you on the path to actually playing the thing and takes you on to advanced techniques. Regarded by many as the Bible. If jazz is your thing, and a particular favourite of mine is The Jazz Bass Book by John Goldsby. It takes you through lots of exercises backed up by an excellent CD. And it has mini biogs of all the great bassists of the past (and present) and gives you a great picture of how the bass has sat in the jazz world. There are others.

[quote name='marvin spangles' timestamp='1415105272' post='2596673'] I agree with Clarky in that it all depends on volume. It's my view that DB is no fun at high volumes . If the volume gets to the point where the DB sound is compromised so much that you'd be better off playing an EB then I think I'd play EB. [/quote] The DB sound tends to get compromised as you progress up the volume scale anyway and stays reasonably OK until feedback kicks in. That is if you're not using FOH. At the recent Double Bass Bash Stingray Pete brought his DB fitted with a magnetic pickup which impressed many of us who attended. While a mag is not completely bombproof it can go up to very high vols before feedback. And Pete's sound was quite acceptable. Just to pick up on the Rev's love for the MA45, I find that cab to have a high resistance to feedback and it's not a boomer. Interesting that that and the Crazy 8 came from the same US source and follow a different theory that I'm not totally au fait with. But they work.

Yes, as Clarky says I like my Crazy 8 a lot. I'm starting to use it in places a bit larger than I'd expect it to work properly. I've used it with a nine-piece with no probs. I took it to Blenheim Palace last Sunday - oo-er - and the ace guitarist who I was working with was very complimentary. And we had drums. You may lose a bit of bottom off some of the smaller cabs but I have generally valued good middle and top articulation. The bottom, a lot of it generated by the acoustics of the instrument, tends to take care of itself by the time it gets to the audience.

I played with him on a few occasions and not only was he a great guy to work with, his 'personality' obscured a fine musical talent - a bit like Louis Armstrong who was thought of as a bit of a clown but was in fact a major jazz innovator. A pal of mine sent him a get well card when he was undergoing therapy some time ago and he sent one back saying 'I'm undergoing radio therapy; I thought it would be a bit like Radio Bristol but I've discovered it's even worse'. RIP Ack.

My Upton Prof DB doesn't go out these days 'cos it's just too heavy to carry about. It can't go under the bed so it stands up in the corner. The ply beater went to the SE Bash yesterday but now it'll stay in the garage until the outside gigs resume in the spring. The other three will do out tho'.

Yup, a great day. Thanks Nic and Colin and all Basschatters for great mateyness. Some fab amps in the shoot-out. My back's feeling better already, Jack. Thanks for that.

[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1414568351' post='2590659'] OK, so a quick update on the idea of a valve vs solid state vs hybrid amp 'shoot-out'.. Having discussed it with Chimike, we think it'd be interesting to compare the relative merits of: Valve amps Hybrid amps (valve pre + solid state output stage) Lightweight Class D amps We have the following amps put forward for this so far: EBS TD650 Fender Bassman Trace Elliot Quatra Valve Marshall Superbass 100 Ampeg (model TBC) GB Streamliner 600 Aguilar Tonehammer 500 Hughes & Kettner Bassbase 600 Mesa Walkabout If anyone has any other amps that might make this more intresting, then please let us know? Thinking of Markbass, Thunderfunk, GK, Eden etc, etc. We will probably do this using a couple of different basses and a couple of different cabs, including my SWR Triad, which is a good all rounder.. Suggestions/offers of basses and cabs for this will be very welcome In terms of other talks in the Theatre: Happy Jack's talk will be at 12pm Roger (basssace) will have his DB with him to do small sessions as and when (hope that's OK Roger?) See you Saturday! Nik [/quote] Fine by me, Nik. If I've got room I'll bring along an EUB as well.